Police arrest suspect in College Hill murder

Pullman Police Department officers arrested the man they believe to be responsible for December’s College Hill homicide.

Jorge Amezcua, 30, made a preliminary appearance Friday morning at Whitman County Superior Court in Colfax. He was apprehended Thursday for the alleged murder of 28-year-old Darcy Taylor Spracklin.

The case stems from a shooting incident reported Dec. 26 at a residence on the 800 block of NE California Street in Pullman.

Court documents indicate officers initially responded to a report of a seizure, and found Spracklin unresponsive. He was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital where staff notified law enforcement Spracklin had multiple gunshot wounds, and died from the injuries later that day.

Upon performing an autopsy, the Whitman County coroner found five bullets and a fragment within Spracklin’s head, according to court documents. Coroner Annie Pillars ruled Spracklin’s death was caused by multiple gunshot wounds and confirmed the matter of death to be a homicide.

Detectives spoke with multiple witnesses, who said Spracklin would occasionally do drugs with a man identified as Amezcua. Court documents show other individuals said Amezcua was part of Spracklin’s friend group and was described to be short in stature.

Officers obtained video surveillance from businesses in the area, and noted in the probable cause affidavit very few people were seen in the area the day of the alleged murder. One of the individuals seen on the tape was a short man riding a bicycle.

Police also executed a search warrant for cellphone tower data in the area and court documents alleged a device registered to Amezcua places him in the vicinity where Spracklin’s body was found during the time of reported murder.

Court documents show Amezcua was arrested Thursday at his residence along NE Markley Drive in Pullman for suspicion of knowingly possessing a controlled substance. In an interview with detectives, he initially denied knowing anything about the shooting but said he had done drugs with Spracklin in the past.

He later admitted to smoking meth with Spracklin at an abandoned fraternity house near Spracklin’s residence the day of the alleged murder, according to court documents. He allegedly told detectives he had shot at Spracklin six times, but believed he missed because Spracklin walked across the street to his home.

Court documents say Amezcua requested a friend dispose of his .22-caliber pistol the next day.

Police searched the abandoned house near Spracklin’s residence and reportedly found blood evidence, according to court documents.

Whitman County Superior Court Judge Roger Sandberg placed Amezcua on a $1 million bond in court.

The Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office has until Tuesday to file charges against Amezcua for second-degree murder and knowingly possessing a controlled substance of methamphetamine.

Amezcua faces up to life in prison for the felony crimes.

Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy said in court Amezcua’s criminal history includes juvenile charges in California. These include assault with a deadly weapon for supposedly trying to strangle someone with a rope, as well as alleged child molestation. Tracy was unable to determine if previous charges lead to any convictions.

The Whitman County Regional SWAT Team and the Quad Cities Drug Task Force assisted with the investigation.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.